Critics question plans for bigger, more efficient vessels at BC Ferries [Video]

BC Ferries is taking a step forward in its plan to build five new vessels, but critics say the proposal could be steering the province into troubled waters.

The proposal, now formally submitted to the B.C. Ferries Commissioner, would be the largest capital investment in the organization’s history.

“These ferries are going to be bigger, they’re going to be more efficient,” said Nicolas Jimenez, the CEO of BC Ferries.

“They’re going to be designed with a diesel-battery hybrid form of compulsion and importantly, they’re going to have an all-electric capability in place. So when we’re ready to transition to a fully electric mode of propulsion, they’ll be ready to do that,” he explained.

The new ferries wouldn’t be faster, however, they should fare better in the sometimes-unpredictable weather along B.C.’s coastline.

“These ships are going to be able to tolerate a higher threshold in terms of winds and waves and …